Visit Indiana, Kentucky For Your Next Vacation? by Cathy Peterson

If you live in the Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio region of America, you really do owe it to yourself to make a little trip to Nashville, Indiana sometime in the near future. Nicknamed the "Little Smokies", and referred to by most of us as "Brown County", this thriving artist community is located about an hour from Indianapolis. This time of the year, the trip is especially worth it due to the gorgeous jewel tones of the autumn leaves.

Go on - plan on making a day of it. Roll the windows all the down, play your favorite music and enjoy the ride. Get in touch with nature by having a leisurely picnic and then taking a long, relaxing hike in Yellowwood State Park. While you're there, stop off and see Gobbler's Rock, a four hundred pound rock that's lodged precariously in a tree. Lay lazily on the shore of Lake Monroe and let the sun make you blind as it reflects off the water.

Drop in on any on of literally hundreds of local artists painting the town in a variety of hues. Watch while handmade beeswax candles are dipped and hung to dry, or stare incredulously as a glassblower slowly and painstakingly blows an exquisite round bowl. Bright sunlight shoots jaggedly through pieces of stained glass as the smell of scented candles delightfully ‘tickles’ your sense of smell. Listen to the soft "click-click-click" of a loom weaving fabric.

Next, take in the flea market and then visit an antique store or two; there certainly are enough of them in these parts ! If you're patient and willing to look carefully, there are definitely old-fashioned bargains to be found.

And when it's time to eat, you certainly won't be disappointed - there are many fine restaurants and cafes to eat at. If it's something sweet on your mind, try and stop yourself from indulging in rich, creamy fudge, caramel apples, funnel cakes or elephant ears, all local favorites and available in abundance.

While you're at it, take a tour of the old log jail house, which was built in the last century and is located downtown in back of the old courthouse.

You have a lot of hard choices if you make the decision to stay the night. From a few of the larger national chains to more small and charming l bed-and-breakfasts, there's something for every taste and budget. You can find many travel deals on the Internet today.